Walking/tilting bun

[summbunny]

I recently rescued a rabbit and he’s been having a variety of issues. 

1. He has white spots on his eyeballs and crusty fur around his eyes (which I clean daily). 

2. He seems to be off balanced and sometimes “walks” instead of hops. 

3. Today when he was laying down asleep he seemed to be starting to tip over just slightly.

I have done A LOT of research on the internet and cannot figure out what could be wrong. He seems to be super happy and loves to eat his daily salad and pellets and goes crazy for bananas as a treat. I found information that it may be ear mites, however when I look in his ears they appear to be perfectly clean inside. He does shake his head and scratch his ears often, but it doesn’t seem abnormally often. I also have NO idea how old he is. I do however know that he was living outside previously to me adopting him. 

Does anybody have any idea what could be wrong with him?

[vanessa]

I’d get him to a vet really quickly. Symptoms 1 2 and 3 are tyical of EC. 2 and 3 are typical of middle ear infection. Either way, he needs medication, the sooner the better. Could you describe the spots on his eyes? Are they multiple spots on each eye or more like a white cloud? Question about 3 – I assume if he was tipping over, he wasn’t laying down just yet? Was he sitting resting?
Crusty fur around his eyes seem to indicate an eye discharge, which may or may not be related to the other symptoms. Does he have crusty or wet or clumped fur on the inside of his paws?
I’d maka an appointment with the vet as soon as you can.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome !

Is it possible to upload some photos of what his eyes look like? Are the spots in his eye or do you mean he gets white type goobers that float on the surface?

With balance issues and white spots in the eyes, I would be suspicious of E. Cuniculi. This is a common “parasite” with rabbits. Sometimes it will lie dormant and not cause any symptoms. Other rabbits can be affected by it from birth or even in utero. Often, if dormant, it can then present symptoms in older rabbits and/or when a rabbits immune system becomes taxed due to another health issue. 

It can cause a range of different symptoms in rabbits and is a rather confusing condition! Much of the time, vets will treat based on symptoms alone because it can be hard to get a definitive diagnosis for it. 

It is usually treated with a 28 day course of fenbendazole (commonly known as Panacur). 

Inner ear infection is another possiblity and sometimes vets will treat for this alongside EC treatment.

Seeing as your rabbit was living outdoors prior to coming to you, its also possible he’s been in contact with other parasites that can cause some neurological issues, affecting balance. 

Do you have a rabbit savvy vet?  

[summbunny]

Unfortunately I could not get a picture of his eyeballs, however here is one of the fur around his eye. The skin around used to be bright red, but looks much better now that I have been cleaning it. 

The spots on his eye looks like whitish mucous. It is a bump on his eye (not “inside” the eyeball) but it is stationary and doesn’t move. He has had them since I got him and they haven’t changed at all. 

Thank you for the advice! I do not have a local vet that I trust with my buns, but I will find one for him as I can tell he needs it. 

[jerseygirl]

Possible it’s from injury and/or infection then. Does he keep his eyes squinted like that a lot or is this just because you’d just washed it?

[summbunny]

No he doesn’t have crusty/wet/clumpy fur on his paws!

No his head is tilting like I’ve seen in pictures of a head tilt. It is when he is laying down and his body seems to slowlyyyy tilt to the side, it seems to be more of a balance thing. I only noticed it today, so it could even be him just dozing off! 

And its just like that cause I had a camera flashing in his eye

[jerseygirl]

Some buns will do that when sleeping. Its rather cute!

The walking instead of hopping is still odd. Is this happening on different floor surfaces? Does he have matted fur at all on his underside?

Maybe something to do with his spine?

[summbunny]

Also I meant he is not** tilting like pictures of head tilt. I attached a picture of him leaning!! He’s doing it right now!

Spine issues is a possibility. When I got him they told me he was having trouble jumping and they had to move his water dish from where they had had it (a step about 2 feet off the ground). He does hop sometimes, but sometimes walks, almost as though his back legs are the issue. He is only ever on carpet, except when he gets in his wire cage to eat/drink/go to the bathroom, and has no matted fur.

 They also told me they assumed he was blind. Since he had had these problems already I assumed it was neurological and they were issues he would always have. But now I am becoming increasingly worried that it is something that can be changed and I have let him go on living this way. 

[summbunny]

[vanessa]

I think your bunny needs panacur and antibiotics. Fenbendazole is the ingredient used in panacur, and can be found over-the-counter. He really needs a vet. That sideways slow-slide is a balance issue, and the walking could be associated with nerve damage to the limbs. Both are associated with EC. Although it could also be an ear infection and arthritis. My little guy does exactly that. He nods off when he sleeps, and his head drops slowly diagonally – just like your guy is doing in the picture. My little guy doesn’t hop either. His hind limbs are weak, I suspect there may also be arthritis, but he definitely doesn’t hop. He walk-staggers. He is also blind – it’s a response to the EC related cataracts. Google pictures of cataracts in rabbits. It’s a white/opaque film on top of the eye that doesn’t move. He can’t see through the film, but he can see around the edges, so he might scan, or sway his head, to make use of the peripheral vision. I honestly think that if you have to wait more than a week to get him an appointment, you should look for fenbendazole, and when you do get an appointment (he’ll need antibiotics and anti-inflammatories too), tell your vet that you started him on fenbendazole.

[Limit]

Don’t have any advice (Vanessa said everything ) but I’d like to say that he’s gorgeous xx

[summbunny]

Ok that is great advice thank you! I’m going to get him Panacur immediately and get him to the vet. I wasn’t even looking for another bunny when I found him but when they told me he was blind I wanted to give him whatever he needs so that he doesn’t need to see anyways!

And thank you Limit! He’s my little fluffer

[vanessa]

I felt the same way when i adopted my cat misty. 10 years old at the time, i figured an elder cat would b hard on adopt. She is now 15 and u cant tell. Lancelot, my bunny, was recovering from a host of issues when i adoted him. They told me of his dental problems, malnutrition, stomach issues, eye ulcers, but a year later he became sick with ec. He has had a few relapses. U need to catch it quick, to limit the damage.
Lancelot is deaf and blind. He gets along just fine. I keep his food/water/furniture in the same spot around the perimiter of the room. No trip hazards in the center.

[Jessica]

I’m going through a similar situation, my girl started to have a bit of balance issues last week and then developed a mild head tilt. My vet is treating her for both an inner ear infection and EC. Yesterday her vet changed up her meds a bit and today is going better, she’s actually actually exploring a bit today

[vanessa]

That’s fantastic that she is feeling a little better. Lancelot is also on another 28 day treatment. I do supplement his 28-day treatment with ivermectin because despite contradictory information, I am positive that I see improved energy after each dose. What did your vet change her meds to? And what were they?

[Author]

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